1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a string holder to be attached to a string end.
2. Description of Related Art
Strings are generally used for various purposes. Specifically, strings are widely used, for example, for closing an opening in shoes, bags, garments and personal ornaments or for adjusting a size thereof. Strings are also used in a variety of different circumferences such as in connecting items to each other or fixing cargos.
It should be noted that the word “strings” refers to general string-like bodies that can be tied, which includes not only a typical string, wire and cable but also a tape, belt and the like.
Such strings are usually end-treated. If a string end left as being cut off without any treatment, the cross section of the string end will not be pleasing to the eye or to the touch. When the string is made by weaving, the string end may be frayed. One simple end-treatment is knotting the end. A dedicated string holder is also used for better operability and decoration.
There has been developed a string holder that covers an end of a string (a region of a predetermined length from the string end) to eliminate a trouble of making a knot of the string.
One concrete example is a string holder that has a substantially cylindrical main body to which a string end is inserted and a lock member that is inserted from the other side of the string end such that a projection of the lock member bites into the string end for fixation (see, for instance, patent document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H09-289906, page 4, FIGS. 1 and 6).
As another example, there is known a string holder including a male element and a female element, in which a projection is adapted to bite into a string in a direction intersecting the string; and tip ends of the string are bent in order to restrain its length (see, for instance, patent document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-17411, pages 3 to 4, FIGS. 1 to 3).
According to the above-mentioned patent documents 1 and 2, a tapered hole is provided in a socket (the main body or the female member) and the string is fixed between the tapered hole and a plug (the lock member or the male member), where load applied in inserting the plug into the socket gradually increases in accordance with the advancement of the plug by the tapered hole of the socket, so that is becomes difficult to fix the string by inserting the plug into the socket. In other words, the disadvantage is the difficulty in the assembling.
In a case of a string of which surface is covered with a knit material, the above-described projection can be hung in meshes, thereby providing good biting ability. In contract, in a case of a recently available string that employs an elastomer as a core material, the string is easily deformed when the projection bites into, so that enough biting ability cannot be obtained.